Larry David has admitted that he tried to quit upcoming comedy Whatever Works.

The Seinfeld co-creator told The Tonight Show's Conan O'Brien that he had to be persuaded by director Woody Allen to take on the lead role of Boris Yellnikoff.

"I didn't want to do [the movie]. I talked to [Allen] on the phone, I said, 'You're making a big mistake, a terrible mistake, I'm gonna ruin your movie'. He said, 'No, I think you will do well in it', and I said, 'Okay'," explained David.

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"So I did it, and I got to the set on the first day of shooting, and all of my fears were realised... I was gassy, I was so nervous, my stomach was gurgling... After the first take he came up to me and said, 'That was horrible'."

The Curb Your Enthusiasm star, who is currently producing a seventh season of the HBO series, joked that he was hoping something disastrous would happen to Allen so that he wouldn't have to appear in the movie.

David added: "So the first day was terrible and I wanted to quit, I was trying to scheme my way out of this thing, hoping maybe he'll get hit by a bus or something. I was really hoping to get fired."

The UK release date of Whatever Works, which also stars Evan Rachel Wood, is yet to be confirmed.